Children at work and play in a Filipino charcoal factory

Today, a brief glimpse at life inside a charcoal factory in a slum outside of Manila. Families, including young children, work in these factories making charcoal or scavenging in dumpsters for food and other supplies.

Today, a brief glimpse at life inside a charcoal factory in a slum outside of Manila. Families, including young children, work in these factories making charcoal or scavenging in dumpsters for food and other supplies. The area is called Ulingan, the literal translation being “place where charcoal is made”.

Photographer Mio Cade captured this moment in March 2010 of a little girl playing with a makeshift hula hoop.

I could not remember this little girl name. But she was very curious of my camera. She requested me to take a photo of her playing the hula hoop. She was so happy to be photographed and kept asking for more photos.. Kuya, photo me, kuya photo me. I remember her sweet voices.

At the end I hugged her and swing her around like a hula hoop. She was overjoyed. To me she was a little princess. She was so adorable.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

David Wogan

David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.

David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.

David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.

David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.

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